.png){kind=icon}
Chapter Summary
Chapter 6 covers issues specifically linked to digital inequality to provide an overview of the social, economic, and cultural consequences that result from a lack of access to the Internet. The chapter recounts the historical developments of the digital divide concept, examines the complexity of its measurement, and considers its relevance to policy in Canada and the United States. A key argument is that inequalities in the use of digital technologies reflect not only problems associated with access to networked computers but also differences in skill level among users. Another central term covered in this chapter is the global digital divide, which describes the gap in access to the Internet that exists between developing and developed nations. Many developing nations continue to falter in their efforts to become digital, having to overcome numerous barriers of access, skill, and infrastructure. China is discussed as a prime example of a newly industrializing nation that has struggled to join the information society and in the process has developed an ambivalent relationship with the Internet.
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, you should learn to do the following:
- to discuss how differences in technology ownership and know-how lead to social, economic, and cultural inequality;
- to critically examine how the phenomenon of the digital divide has transformed from a problem solely of Internet access to one linked to digital skills and a range of opportunities;
- to understand the global digital divide and the micro- and macro-level barriers that exist in developing nations regarding access to and use of technology;
- to question the usefulness of the digital divide framework in the context of development policy by reviewing critical perspectives.